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NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have a lot of talent coming back to this team, and as the defending champs of the division, there is no reason to believe that they won’t be able to make a repeat showing in the playoffs. The offense added yet another crucial weapon this year in the draft with WR Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State, and if he can keep his head on straight and proves his value, the combination of Bryant, WR Miles Austin, WR Roy Williams, and TE Jason Witten could make up the most lethal passing attack in the game. The defense ranked second in the NFL as well in terms of points per game, and if that keeps up, HC Wade Phillips will ultimately end up solidifying his job for yet another season.
New York Giants: Give the Giants credit for finding a way to make their offense hum quite well in 2009 in spite of the fact that a 1,000 yard rusher and the team’s top three receiving threats were no longer playing for Big Blue. A new star emerged in the form of WR Steve Smith, who caught 107 passes, but the real accolades go to QB Eli Manning, who is rounding into one of the top signal callers in the NFL. If the defense can get its act together, this could be a very dangerous squad, and the addition of DE Jason Pierre-Paul out of South Florida as a rookie coming in could be just the answer that the squad is looking for.
Philadelphia Eagles: The Donovan McNabb era is over in the City of Brotherly Love, and now, the reins are turned over to QB Kevin Kolb. The former second round draft pick out of Houston has high expectations to live up to, as Eagles fans aren’t going to accept a season of rebuilding in spite of the fact that most of the secondary from just three years ago is gone and the offense is depleted. This is a critical season for HC Andy Reid as well, as the call on Kolb could make or break the end of his career as a coach in the NFL. This is a bear of a schedule that Philly is facing to boot, and the end result is probably going to be a huge step back from the playoff years of recent memory.
Washington Redskins: Philadelphia’s loss might just be Washington’s gain. The Redskins acquired QB Donovan McNabb in the offseason and cut ties with QB Jason Campbell in the process. Also now in the fold is HC Mike Shanahan, who is back after a year on the sidelines following his dismissal from Denver. Of course, with that coaching change comes a new defensive scheme, as Shanahan prefers a 3-4 style of play over a 4-3. DT Albert Haynesworth isn’t quite on board with this, as he and the team are in a huge dispute over the schematics being used. Chaos anyone? Even though it’s hard to picture how the Redskins can be any worse than they were last year, they clearly aren’t a fantastic team yet either. One thing is for certain though, and that’s that this should be a fun team to keep your eye on one way or the other.
NFL Team by Team previews we take a look at the NFC South
New Orleans Saints: The Saints had a fantastic season in 2009, winning the NFC South, the NFC Championship, and finally, the Super Bowl. It was a real culmination to a comeback for both a team and a city that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina not that long ago. New Orleans has arguably the most explosive offense in the NFL, led by QB Drew Brees, who is still relatively young and already amongst the top quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. The question regarding a repeat performance as Super Bowl champs is going to come from a defense which ranked in the bottom third of the league all season last year. If that unit can improve to respectability as it was in the playoffs, the Saints will not only have no troubles winning the NFC South yet again, but it could be well on its way to the Super Bowl as well.
Atlanta Falcons: Two years ago, the Falcons made their jump from the laughing stock of the NFL to a team that made the playoffs. They took a bit of a step backwards last year with a 9-7 season, but they ultimately still proved that they belonged in the discussion amongst the playoff caliber teams every single year. The second year of the Matt Ryan era went well, and even better things are expected for the former No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft coming into 2010. Atlanta’s rushing attack was slowed just a bit in 2009 by an injury to RB Michael Turner. If The Burner gets going again and the addition of DB Dunta Robinson can help a secondary that was woeful in, Atlanta will be back in the playoff mix again in 2010.
Carolina Panthers: Carolina is going to be a very interesting squad to watch all season long. The quarterback battle is now wide open with QB Jake Delhomme finally getting cut a few years too late, while the defense is going to have to find some answers about coping with the loss of DE Julius Peppers to free agency as well. There is no doubt that this team will run the heck out of the football, but is there enough of a passing attack to make it stand up? Save RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, there might not be a heck of a lot else out there to keep this team entertaining. With HC John Fox in the final year of his contract, there could be a very big void to fill for the Panthers very soon.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs clearly entered a rebuilding stage that everyone knew in the Sunshine State was going to take at least a few years to complete. There are zero expectations for Tampa Bay this season, as everyone at Raymond James Stadium knows that this team isn’t any good still. The goal is going to be improving in every aspect of the game. The play of a pair of rookie defensive tackles are going to be called upon to improve a rush defense that ranked dead last in the league. On the other side of the ball, QB Josh Freeman is expected to take some strides from last season, but no one believes that this is the year he becomes an elite signal caller. The Bucs have a chance to win some games early on the schedule, but they aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have a lot of talent coming back to this team, and as the defending champs of the division, there is no reason to believe that they won’t be able to make a repeat showing in the playoffs. The offense added yet another crucial weapon this year in the draft with WR Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State, and if he can keep his head on straight and proves his value, the combination of Bryant, WR Miles Austin, WR Roy Williams, and TE Jason Witten could make up the most lethal passing attack in the game. The defense ranked second in the NFL as well in terms of points per game, and if that keeps up, HC Wade Phillips will ultimately end up solidifying his job for yet another season.
New York Giants: Give the Giants credit for finding a way to make their offense hum quite well in 2009 in spite of the fact that a 1,000 yard rusher and the team’s top three receiving threats were no longer playing for Big Blue. A new star emerged in the form of WR Steve Smith, who caught 107 passes, but the real accolades go to QB Eli Manning, who is rounding into one of the top signal callers in the NFL. If the defense can get its act together, this could be a very dangerous squad, and the addition of DE Jason Pierre-Paul out of South Florida as a rookie coming in could be just the answer that the squad is looking for.
Philadelphia Eagles: The Donovan McNabb era is over in the City of Brotherly Love, and now, the reins are turned over to QB Kevin Kolb. The former second round draft pick out of Houston has high expectations to live up to, as Eagles fans aren’t going to accept a season of rebuilding in spite of the fact that most of the secondary from just three years ago is gone and the offense is depleted. This is a critical season for HC Andy Reid as well, as the call on Kolb could make or break the end of his career as a coach in the NFL. This is a bear of a schedule that Philly is facing to boot, and the end result is probably going to be a huge step back from the playoff years of recent memory.
Washington Redskins: Philadelphia’s loss might just be Washington’s gain. The Redskins acquired QB Donovan McNabb in the offseason and cut ties with QB Jason Campbell in the process. Also now in the fold is HC Mike Shanahan, who is back after a year on the sidelines following his dismissal from Denver. Of course, with that coaching change comes a new defensive scheme, as Shanahan prefers a 3-4 style of play over a 4-3. DT Albert Haynesworth isn’t quite on board with this, as he and the team are in a huge dispute over the schematics being used. Chaos anyone? Even though it’s hard to picture how the Redskins can be any worse than they were last year, they clearly aren’t a fantastic team yet either. One thing is for certain though, and that’s that this should be a fun team to keep your eye on one way or the other.
NFL Team by Team previews we take a look at the NFC South
New Orleans Saints: The Saints had a fantastic season in 2009, winning the NFC South, the NFC Championship, and finally, the Super Bowl. It was a real culmination to a comeback for both a team and a city that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina not that long ago. New Orleans has arguably the most explosive offense in the NFL, led by QB Drew Brees, who is still relatively young and already amongst the top quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. The question regarding a repeat performance as Super Bowl champs is going to come from a defense which ranked in the bottom third of the league all season last year. If that unit can improve to respectability as it was in the playoffs, the Saints will not only have no troubles winning the NFC South yet again, but it could be well on its way to the Super Bowl as well.
Atlanta Falcons: Two years ago, the Falcons made their jump from the laughing stock of the NFL to a team that made the playoffs. They took a bit of a step backwards last year with a 9-7 season, but they ultimately still proved that they belonged in the discussion amongst the playoff caliber teams every single year. The second year of the Matt Ryan era went well, and even better things are expected for the former No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft coming into 2010. Atlanta’s rushing attack was slowed just a bit in 2009 by an injury to RB Michael Turner. If The Burner gets going again and the addition of DB Dunta Robinson can help a secondary that was woeful in, Atlanta will be back in the playoff mix again in 2010.
Carolina Panthers: Carolina is going to be a very interesting squad to watch all season long. The quarterback battle is now wide open with QB Jake Delhomme finally getting cut a few years too late, while the defense is going to have to find some answers about coping with the loss of DE Julius Peppers to free agency as well. There is no doubt that this team will run the heck out of the football, but is there enough of a passing attack to make it stand up? Save RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, there might not be a heck of a lot else out there to keep this team entertaining. With HC John Fox in the final year of his contract, there could be a very big void to fill for the Panthers very soon.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs clearly entered a rebuilding stage that everyone knew in the Sunshine State was going to take at least a few years to complete. There are zero expectations for Tampa Bay this season, as everyone at Raymond James Stadium knows that this team isn’t any good still. The goal is going to be improving in every aspect of the game. The play of a pair of rookie defensive tackles are going to be called upon to improve a rush defense that ranked dead last in the league. On the other side of the ball, QB Josh Freeman is expected to take some strides from last season, but no one believes that this is the year he becomes an elite signal caller. The Bucs have a chance to win some games early on the schedule, but they aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
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