Yesterday, I broke down the AFC, now I move on to the NFC.
1. The New Orleans Saints - the defending Super Bowl Champions return a very good squad, have a great coach in Sean Payton, and QB Drew Brees is at the top of his game. The addition of Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams last season propelled the Saints to the championship, and another year under Williams should make them more consistent on the defensive side of the ball.
The Key: The key to the Saints returning to the promised land is the takeaways on defense. They led the league in turnovers forced last season, and although I think their defense is improved, they aren't a dominating defense...they rely on getting turnovers.
2. The Dallas Cowboys - the Cowboys have an excellent squad talent wise. Very good running backs, offensive linemen, good receivers, and a talented defense. Tony Romo is a playoff caliber quarterback, and it's now up to Wade Phillips and his staff to take this team to the next level.
The Key: Finding an offensive identity. Are they going to be a punishing running team with Marion Barber, and Felix Jones? Or, are they going to sling the ball around the field to Dez Byrant, Miles Austin, Jason Witten, and Roy Williams. When I watch the Cowboys I wonder which team I am going to see. Developing their offense to utilize their talent is the key for Dallas.
3. The Green Bay Packers - the Packers return a very solid team from last year's playoff squad. Aaron Rodgers has developed into one of the best young signal callers in the game. Their defense should be improved, and I have been impressed with Coach McCarthy.
The Key: Pass Protection. I thought Rodgers was going to get killed last season. The Packers drafted a good Tackle in Brian Baluga. His development, and the continued improvement of the offensive line is they biggest question surrounding the Packers.
4. The Minnesota Vikings - the Vikings were just an errant Brett Favre pass away from going to the Super Bowl last season. They return a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. Stellar offensive and defensive lines, a dominating running back, exciting receivers, good linebackers, what's not to like? Well, there's the Quarterback position. I'm of the opinion that Favre is coming back this year, but he's another year older and would be hard pressed to repeat last year's performance.
The Key: Quarterback. If Favre does actually retire, the vikings offense goes from great to average. If Favre comes back, you can bet that teams took note of the Saints gameplan in the NFC Championship. Hit him hard, and often. Get in his face continually. It's going to be tough for a 40 year old man to take that kind of punishment. However, if the vikings can protect Favre, and he can play close to last year's level they would vault to #1 in my rankings.
5. The San Francisco 49er's - The Niners have been building towards this the past few years. They have a very good defensive team, LBer Patrick Willis is possibly the best defensive player in the league. They have a nice running game with Frank Gore and Glen Coffee. TE Vernon Davis is developing into a dominating offensive weapon. The big question mark is QB Alex Smith.
The Key: QB Alex Smith. Can Smith elevate his game to playoff level? To be honest, I feel kind of bad for the guy, he had a different coordinator every season for his first 5 years in the league. I don't think he needs to carry the team, he just needs to play smart and not make big mistakes.
The Darkhorse: The Philadelphia Eagles - most people are down on the Eagles with the departure of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. However, I'm not sure this is a step back. Kevin Kolb is a quality player and has had a few years to learn the system. I anticipate this being something like when Philip Rivers took over the Chargers, they have a lot of weapons with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Anthony Avant at reciever. Nice running back in LeSean McCoy, and underrated TE Brett Celek. The Defensive will be under the tutelage of Sean McDermott for a second year. I think Andy Reid is underrated as a coach, the Eagles have been competitive since he took over.
The Key: most people would put this on QB Kevin Kolb. But I'm looking at the defense. They had a decent squad last season, but they need to improve. If you can put a good defense on the field, and establish a decent, not great, but decent running game... Kolb has enough weapons to keep you in the game. Eagle Defense, it's up to you.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
NFL Preview: The AFC Favorites
As we approach the start of another football season, the sports doofus has taken it upon himself to breakdown the favorites from each of the conferences. I'm going to list who I think are the top 5 contenders in each Conference, and a dark horse candidate.
When looking at the AFC, there are 3 teams that have sort of dominated the conference the past 5 years. The Colts, Patriots, and Chargers. They are always contenders, they are always in the playoffs (except the Pats the year after spygate), and they continue to be favorites. The reason is quarterback play. Year in and year out, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Philip Rivers keep their teams in contention. (the one playoff year missed by the Pats was the year Brady was injured) When you look at the teams who are in contention, in both conferences, this will be a recurring theme.... do they have a quarterback who can take the team on their shoulders and carry them through in tough times? Can they lead a comeback? Do their teammates trust them without hesitation?
So, here are my top 5 teams, with one dark horse for the AFC.
1. Indianapolis Colts - The defending AFC Champions will pretty much remain in contention as long as they have Manning running the team. The thing with the Colts is, they play a simple cover 2 scheme on defense, which allows their defenders to learn and know their roles quickly. Their offense is almost impossible to stop, as Manning calls nearly every play at the line of scrimmage.
The Key: The key for the Colts this season is to develop a little better running game. They need Joseph Addai and Donald Brown to provide more of a threat on the ground.
2. The Baltimore Ravens - The Ravens rode a tough defense and punishing ground game into the playoffs the past two seasons. They have probably the most underrated coach in the league in John Harbaugh. The one thing the Ravens do well, as they showed in the playoffs against New England last year, is just out-physical you. They will beat you up at the line of scrimmage. This is a tough team, and the addition on Anquan Bolden should help their passing attack. T
The Key: QB Joe Flacco has got to improve. Although he has led them to the playoffs in both of his seasons, they are a bit too one dimensional on offense, and this cost them in the playoffs against the Colts.
3. The San Diego Chargers - a team that has, I think almost erroneously been labeled the most talented team in the league for the past few seasons. The Chargers really struggled to run the ball last year, which led to the departure of future hall of famer LaDanian Tomlinson. Their Defense has been suspect up the middle, and they have not had much of a pass rush the past two seasons, or since Shawne Merriman's knee was injured.
The Key: The Holdouts. Veteran starters Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill, and Shawne Merriman have all held out of training camp, upset with their current contract status. The Chargers will still have a good team but I doubt they will be good enough to go the distance unless these guys report.
4. The New England Patriots - a team that is in "flux". Tom Brady is a great QB, and Randy Moss is a great receiver, but there are a number of big question marks in New England. Will Wes Welker bounce back from his knee injury? Will the youngsters on defense get up to speed? Can Bellichick continue his mastery of all things? (He's lost a ton of coordinators and staff over the years)
The Key: The Defense. Many of the key players in the Patriots run to dominance are gone. (Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel, Teddy Brushchi, Adalieus Thomas) They have been replaced by younger players. Now these are good players, but Belichick's system of defense is very elaborate and difficult to learn. Last season, they did not look as dominant as they had in years past. If this team can improve on the defensive side of the ball, look out. And don't think they are ignoring all the praise people are heaping on the Jets.
5. The New York Jets - the "sexy" pick of the new season. First year coach Rex Ryan led a team of upstarts to the AFC championship game last season, and have added several big name new faces to their team. However, I can't rate them any higher than 5th, because of their Quarterback Mark Sanchez.
The Key: Mark Sanchez has got to elevate his game. He played well in the playoffs, but he had only 10 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in the regular season last year. He is going to have to improve, and make big strides if this team is going to sniff what many of the media are making them out to be.
The Darkhorse: The Cincinatti Bengals. I know it's not a big stretch to pick a defending division winner as a darkhorse candidate, but how many people do you hear listing the Bengals as contenders. The Bengals ran the ball very well last year, and played a very tough, physical defense. They are very young at a number of key defensive positions, and should only be better.
The Key- the passing game. The addition of Terrell Owens is getting all the headlines, but I really liked the drafting of the TE Jermaine Gresham. This is going to add a nice big target over the middle for Carson Palmer.
So, there you go. I'll try and post my "top 5" for the NFC tomorrow.
When looking at the AFC, there are 3 teams that have sort of dominated the conference the past 5 years. The Colts, Patriots, and Chargers. They are always contenders, they are always in the playoffs (except the Pats the year after spygate), and they continue to be favorites. The reason is quarterback play. Year in and year out, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Philip Rivers keep their teams in contention. (the one playoff year missed by the Pats was the year Brady was injured) When you look at the teams who are in contention, in both conferences, this will be a recurring theme.... do they have a quarterback who can take the team on their shoulders and carry them through in tough times? Can they lead a comeback? Do their teammates trust them without hesitation?
So, here are my top 5 teams, with one dark horse for the AFC.
1. Indianapolis Colts - The defending AFC Champions will pretty much remain in contention as long as they have Manning running the team. The thing with the Colts is, they play a simple cover 2 scheme on defense, which allows their defenders to learn and know their roles quickly. Their offense is almost impossible to stop, as Manning calls nearly every play at the line of scrimmage.
The Key: The key for the Colts this season is to develop a little better running game. They need Joseph Addai and Donald Brown to provide more of a threat on the ground.
2. The Baltimore Ravens - The Ravens rode a tough defense and punishing ground game into the playoffs the past two seasons. They have probably the most underrated coach in the league in John Harbaugh. The one thing the Ravens do well, as they showed in the playoffs against New England last year, is just out-physical you. They will beat you up at the line of scrimmage. This is a tough team, and the addition on Anquan Bolden should help their passing attack. T
The Key: QB Joe Flacco has got to improve. Although he has led them to the playoffs in both of his seasons, they are a bit too one dimensional on offense, and this cost them in the playoffs against the Colts.
3. The San Diego Chargers - a team that has, I think almost erroneously been labeled the most talented team in the league for the past few seasons. The Chargers really struggled to run the ball last year, which led to the departure of future hall of famer LaDanian Tomlinson. Their Defense has been suspect up the middle, and they have not had much of a pass rush the past two seasons, or since Shawne Merriman's knee was injured.
The Key: The Holdouts. Veteran starters Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill, and Shawne Merriman have all held out of training camp, upset with their current contract status. The Chargers will still have a good team but I doubt they will be good enough to go the distance unless these guys report.
4. The New England Patriots - a team that is in "flux". Tom Brady is a great QB, and Randy Moss is a great receiver, but there are a number of big question marks in New England. Will Wes Welker bounce back from his knee injury? Will the youngsters on defense get up to speed? Can Bellichick continue his mastery of all things? (He's lost a ton of coordinators and staff over the years)
The Key: The Defense. Many of the key players in the Patriots run to dominance are gone. (Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel, Teddy Brushchi, Adalieus Thomas) They have been replaced by younger players. Now these are good players, but Belichick's system of defense is very elaborate and difficult to learn. Last season, they did not look as dominant as they had in years past. If this team can improve on the defensive side of the ball, look out. And don't think they are ignoring all the praise people are heaping on the Jets.
5. The New York Jets - the "sexy" pick of the new season. First year coach Rex Ryan led a team of upstarts to the AFC championship game last season, and have added several big name new faces to their team. However, I can't rate them any higher than 5th, because of their Quarterback Mark Sanchez.
The Key: Mark Sanchez has got to elevate his game. He played well in the playoffs, but he had only 10 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in the regular season last year. He is going to have to improve, and make big strides if this team is going to sniff what many of the media are making them out to be.
The Darkhorse: The Cincinatti Bengals. I know it's not a big stretch to pick a defending division winner as a darkhorse candidate, but how many people do you hear listing the Bengals as contenders. The Bengals ran the ball very well last year, and played a very tough, physical defense. They are very young at a number of key defensive positions, and should only be better.
The Key- the passing game. The addition of Terrell Owens is getting all the headlines, but I really liked the drafting of the TE Jermaine Gresham. This is going to add a nice big target over the middle for Carson Palmer.
So, there you go. I'll try and post my "top 5" for the NFC tomorrow.
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