Mikey D

Okay, I'm going to make my picks for the upcoming NFL Season. Yes it's only the preseason, but I can't see much changing my mind on picks other than a colossal injury to a team. In that case, I am allowing myself to change my picks. Otherwise, these are my set in stone picks. Let's start with the NFC.

NFC North:
1) Chicago Bears~ Not as good as last year, but should be better on offense. I think teams will run all over the Bears, as I don't think their D-Line is as good. If teams do that, they can control tempo and wear down the D. Still, in a weak NFC North, they're the elite team.
2) Detroit Lions~ Yup, I'm drinking the Kool-Aid. If the defense can stay healthy, and we get Calvin in training camp and Jones comes back, I think this team will be decent. I like the offense with Williams, Johnson, and Furrey at receiver, and backfield of Jones, Bell, and Duckett. But will we have an O-Line this year? A secondary? Remains to be seen.
3) Green Bay Packers~ The defense was good last year, but not great. It was a decent NFL defense. I look at Green Bay's offense, and I just don't see it. Favre didn't get younger, Driver can only go down after a career year, and they have no running game whatsoever. The defense will keep this team in games, but they won't score enough points to win.
4) Minnesota Vikings~ Travaris Jackson is your quarterback. Icky. Solid backfield with Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson and a great O-Line to work with. I'm no NFL coach, but I would just pound the football. Otherwise Jackson will be forced to throw it to guys I've never heard of, and that will inevitably be a bad thing. This team is rebuilding in every sense of the word...and yet the Lions will probably still lose to them at least once this year.

NFC East:
1) Philadelphia Eagles~ I really like the defense a lot this year. The Eagles always seem to have a solid D. They lost Stallworth to New England, but they gained Kevin Curtis, who is essentially the white Donte Stallworth in my opinion. If McNabb and Westbrook can stay healthy (big ifs), this offense should be downright nasty. Nasty offense with a solid defense equals a division title.
2) Dallas Cowboys~ Can Romo step up for a full year? With T.O., Terry Glenn, Jason Witten, Marion Barber III, and Julius Jones, he better! That's a lot of weapons, and Romo should be halfway decent. The defense looks solid as well, but I always wonder about the mental make-up of a team like the Cowboys. One week they can look great (last year beating the Colts), and then they don't show up (losing to the Lions- at home). Good talent, but I don't think they're a great team yet.
3) Washington Redskins~ Portis and Betts will be a great backfield tandem, and Campbell and Cooley established a nice connection last year. Brandon Lloyd has to show up this year though, as Santana Moss isn't the type of receiver you want carrying your team. They got LaRon Landry in the draft, and adding Smoot in free agency should bolster the defense, but that remains to be seen. The Redskins always seem to look good on paper, but always end up being a bust in some way. For that reason, they finish third.
4) New York Giants~ Eli has looked serviceable, but not great. Now he has to step-up and be the leader of this team. He has Shockey and Burress for weapons, but if one of those guys goes down, they're in trouble. He no longer has Tiki to bail him out in the passing game. Jones and Droughns take over the running game, and although both will be decent, it's hard to argue they'll be able to replace Tiki's production. Also, the O-Line is definitely a big question mark. On defense, the loss of Strahan will be huge. You need a solid D-Line to stop the run in this league, and without it the Giants will be hurting. Add the New York media pressure and a lame duck coach in Coughlin and this will be a tough season for the G-Men.

NFC South:
1) New Orleans Saints~ Not a tough pick here. I really question their defense, as I don't think they've upgraded it enough this past off season. It's obvious their offense will carry them again this season. Brees, Bush, McAllister, Colston, Henderson...that's just filthy. Can their offense mask their defensive deficiencies to make it to the Super Bowl?
2) Atlanta Falcons~ They're not going to be that bad folks. Trust me. Joey Harrington is no Michael Vick, but if he can pick up Petrino's system he will be decent. Having one less year experience than Vick, Harrington already has more passing yards and throwing touchdowns than Vick. Yes, Vick does a lot with his legs, but Petrino's system is predicated on throwing, not running. And I will argue that Harrington is a better passer than Vick, so it won't be that bad Falcons fans. In fact, I'm predicting it will be better. With Norwood coming into his own, Horn and Crumpler bringing experience to the receiving corps, and the leadership of Dunn, this will be a decent offense. And with an veteran defense, I expect this team to compete for the playoffs this year.
3) Carolina Panthers~ A year removed from being every one's Super Bowl pick, the Panthers don't have the expectations this year. They had a solid draft, and bringing in Carr to back up Delhomme was a good move. This team still looks a lot like last year's lackluster team though. Okay QB, one receiver, no tight end, and two small backs. The defense gets over hyped every year, and every year they get decimated by injuries and poor performances. This won't be a bounce back year for the Panthers, as I just don't think this team has the right chemistry to win it all. They'll be decent though, and will win a few games against top teams, but will also lose against some of the poorer teams.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers~ So many questions. I predict Garcia will be terrible this year. Garcia is good on good teams, bad on bad teams. History shows it. But when he messes up, there will be people behind him. They do have depth, not great depth, but depth nonetheless. Tampa's defense is a work in progress, as they are battling age and a depleted secondary. Teams will light them up. Their schedule is favorable though, so they could end up looking like a decent team, but don't let the record fool you- they're awful.

NFC West~
1) Arizona Cardinals~ This is my surprise team from the NFC that will step-up. They brought in Wisenhunt as their head coach, who proved to be a very successful O-coordinator in Pittsburgh, and Grimm as the O-Line coach, which they desperately need to improve. But the talent is there. Drafting Levi Brown was a great move, and Fitzgerald and Bouldin are absolute monsters at the wide out positions. Leinart has a year under his belt, and Edgerinn James will be better this year behind an improved O-Line. The defense will be a big question as always, but this division is full of defenses that are fairly weak.
2) St. Louis Rams~ Bulger, Holt, Bruce, and Jackson. There's your offense, and it's a damn good one. Jackson came into his own last year, and I think he'll continue wrecking the weak NFC West defenses. The defense is supposed to have improved, but we'll see. I watched the Lions score almost at will against the Rams, so what exactly is improved? Giving up 30 instead of 40? They picked up a good DE in the draft, but we'll see how the secondary holds up.
3) San Francisco 49ers~ Chic pick in the NFC right now. A good draft, solid defensive free agent signings, trading for Darryl Jackson at wide out, and a healthy Vernon Davis on offense makes the 49ers attractive. And yes, on paper, they look good. Before I jump on the bandwagon though, I want to see this team gel. What happens if Frank Gore goes down with an injury? In my opinion, the offense is doomed. Alex Smith isn't ready to carry a team yet, and Jackson has to prove he can stay healthy for more than six games a season. The defense looks good on paper, but so does the Redskins' every single year, and look how much they win. I feel like this is a division where the winner is going to be the one who has the best offense, and I just don't feel like the 49ers are there yet.
4) Seattle Seahawks~ Alexander is getting older and coming off an injury. They lost Hasselbeck's favorite target in Darryl Jackson. They lost their starting tight end in Jerramy Stevens, and replaced him with Marcus Pollard, a Lion reject. It's never good when you're replacing starters with Lion rejects. I watched the Seahawk defense get torched last year, and I watched the running game get stuffed behind an only average offensive line after the loss of Hutchinson. I was amazed how well they played against the Bears in the playoffs, as they showed the heart of a champion. This year though? The rest of the division steps up, while they step down.

Let's give the playoff picture and seeding:
1) Philadelphia Eagles
2) New Orleans Saints
3) Chicago Bears
4) Arizona Cardinals
5) Dallas Cowboys
6) Atlanta Falcons

Wild Card:
Atlanta at Chicago: Nice feel good story for Atlanta after bouncing back from the Vick story, but Chicago at home in January...Da Bears.
Dallas at Arizona: A playoff home game for the division winning Cardinals? You better believe it. With the home crowd at their side, the Cardinals will light up the Boys. Cardinals in a shoot out.

Division:
Arizona at Philadelphia: A great playoff win against Dallas shows the Cardinals will be a threat...next year. With a stingy defense and McNabb airing it out to Brown and Curtis, the Eagles blowout the Cards at home.
Chicago at New Orleans: Last year's conference championship match-up happens a round earlier, and in New Orleans this time. With a weaker defense and a raucous New Orleans' crowd, Grossman and the Bears fall as Bush and McAllister each score touchdowns. Brees hits Bush in the flat for the game winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Bush does his trademark flip into the end zone- but this time the Saints win.

Conference Championship:
New Orleans at Philadelphia: These two teams met last year in New Orleans, but this time it's in Philly. Both teams are hungry, but McNabb wants this more than anybody. He proves why he is the leader of the team and an elite NFL quarterback as he torches the Saint defense. Philly holds down the Saint offense just enough to capture the win and the conference. Philadelphia to the Super Bowl.

So there you have it. My NFC picks. The Philadelphia Eagles will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, barring any unforeseen injuries. The Lions? 8-8 this year, which is a very good season for them. Hopes will be high for the next season, but aren't they always? Improvement, but not ten wins. Baby steps for the Lions. I've learned not to expect too much.

~Mikey D