The NFL regular season has officially arrived, so now the games really count even if the replacement officials can’t count the score correctly. Here’s the NFC half of Student Life’s NFL preview.
NFC West:
1.Rams: Despite the Sports Illustrated curse (being picked to win the Super Bowl) and a little hometown prejudice, the Rams are still the most explosive team in the NFC. But for the Rams to succeed they need a healthy Kurt Warner and a defensive unit that can step up and hold leads. New defensive coordinator Lovie Smith should help energize a much more athletic defense anchored by free agent acquisition Aeneas Williams.
2. Saints: Assuming that Aaron Brooks is as productive as he was in limited action last season and that Ricky Williams can come back healthy, then the Saints are a contender. Look for a very big and experienced offensive line to give Aaron Brooks plenty of time to throw. They’ll also create giant sized holes for Rickey Williams to run through.
3. 49ers: This is no 49ers team of old. They lost Jerry Rice to the Raiders and their receiving corps is suspect aside from Terrell Owens. Add this to a very poor running attack and you can forget about the West Coast offense. But before you count `em out, Jeff Garcia is a star in the making at quarterback. The man threw for 4,278 yards and 31 touchdowns last year.
4. Panthers: I’m sorry, but Chris Weinke at QB? I know he led the Seminoles to the Sugar Bowl, but still I don’t think he can hold up through the year. At receiver they have two talents in Pat Jeffers and Mushin Muhammad, but the Panthers just have no depth. Couple this with a very weak linebacking corps and a mediocre defensive line and the result is a pretty bad team.
5. Falcons: The Falcons are a far cry from the Dirty Bird dancin’ days of a few years back and the truth is they filled none of their holes in the off-season. Michael Vick will be a star some day, but not this year, which leaves the Falcons in the hands of concussion-prone Chris Chandler.
NFC Central:
1. Buccaneers: The pressure is on and if the Bucs do not advance far into the playoffs Tony Dungy is history. With the acquisition of QB Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay is definitely looking for an improvement on offense. The Bucs’ defense is proven and it’s just a question of whether or not they can put points on the board.
2. Packers: Joy in Cheesehead land? I’m not sure. Brett Favre is still a gamer at QB who will find some way to get the ball down the field even if his receiving corps is lackluster. In order for the Pack to win, though, Favre must reduce his 16 interceptions of a year ago.
3. Vikings: The triumph of the Purple People will have to wait in the Twin Cities. Sure, if Daunte Culpepper, who threw for 33 touchdowns and 3,937 yards last year, could launch every pass to Randy Moss then everything would be copasetic, but that isn’t going to happen.
4. Lions: Despite the headlines grabbed by the revamping of the front office and the coaching staff, new GM Matt Millen did very little to get the Lions in a position to contend for the playoffs. Charlie Batch is it at QB, and with a porous offensive line they could be in serious trouble. The defensive line is decent, but the secondary is a mess.
5. Bears: Da Bears will finish last in the division; count on it. The Shane Matthews Band is atrocious at QB and the offensive line can’t stop anybody. Marcus Robinson will be a pretty good receiver, but I don’t think he’ll have too much to catch. Chicagoans, I’m sorry, but don’t bother with this team.
NFC East:
1.Giants: This team is basically identical to the one that lost the Super Bowl last season. However, to win again the Giants need to figure out whether Tiki Barber or Ron Dayne will become the dominant runner at running back. Quarterback Kerry Collins may not be the best around, but should be adequate.
2.Eagles: Warm up the cheese steaks and quiet the boos, the Eagles will contend in a weak division this year. They have no proven receivers and a running back coming off a major injury, but they have Donovan McNabb. Enough said. The defense is very stingy and might be the best in the NFC. The Eagles are good, but not good enough to go all the way
3. Cardinals: Can the 2001 campaign be any worse than 2000 for the Cardinals? I don’t think so. Jake Plummer has to be better than the 13 touchdowns and a whopping 21 interceptions of a year ago, and so do the Cardinals. They have more talent than a 3-13 team. They have no running game and an average offensive line, but it’s the defense that will be the demise of the Cardinals.
4. Redskins: $100 million can’t buy what it used to, huh? No amount of money can stop the Redskins from going from a mediocre old team to a bad old team. Jeff George is Jeff George; in other words he can throw a great deep ball, but not much else. On the other side of the ball, this team is old aside from Champ Bailey, who is a star. Washingtonians will look to Baltimore for a winner this season.
5. Cowboys: This team is just horrible! Jerry Jones has micromanaged this team right to the bottom of he standings. Quincy Carter at quarterback isn’t going to be a very good experiment, and there is nobody else behind him. This puts all of the pressure on Emmitt Smith who is starting to show some serious age. The ride is over Cowboys fans. Welcome to last place.
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