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Sat, 09 Sep 2006
2006 NFL Predictions!!!...NFC Preview

Now that you've seen the AFC side of things, lets get right to it on the NFC side!
NFC East
1.Eagles
2.Giants
3. Redskins
4. Cowboys

Being a Giant fan, you know I have to be nuts to pick the Eagles to win the division. However, this whole NFC East division is loaded,especially on defense. The Eagles, though,happen to have Donovan McNabb, and unfortunately, it may be a little to early to give the best QB in the division to Eli Manning. McNabb is a true leader and has the ability to make something out of nothing when he is on the field. Without WR Terrell Owens, McNabb will spread the ball around more to the stable of receivers at his disposal as well as TE L.J.Smith and RB Brian Westbrook. The offensive line may not be one of the best but it is at least stable now and with RB Correll Buckhalter back and young RB Ryan Moats being able to spell Westbrook and keep him healthy, the Eagles should have their share of scoring opportunities. The defense continues to be under-rated and should be a top 10 unit once again with the additions of DE Darren Howard and rookie DT Broderick Bunkley as well as the coming back of LB Shaun Barber. This team is well rounded and will be tough to beat, so believe me when I say that 14 wins is not out of the question here. They will need all the wins they can muster because the New York Giants will be right on their tails the whole season. If rookie WR Sinorice Moss can get healthy and actually contribute to this offense, they will be even more dangerous than they already are. And with the likes of Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey and an improving Eli Manning,and an under-rated offensive line, this team should be mighty dangerous already. With the addition of LB Lavar Arrington and a healthy Antonio Pierce, this Giant D may again become a top level defense,even if newly acquired CB's Sam Madison and R.W.McQuarters have only decent seasons. I admit I have never been a big Tom Coughlin fan, but he has solidified this team and made them a contender. While the Redskins may also be improved, this is a loaded NFC East division and that could spell trouble for these Redskins. That means 2 games against the Giants,Eagles and Cowboys and they also have games against the Panthers, and on the road against the Colts and an under-rated Rams team. The good teams will still be able to run against the Skins and all this could add up to a 7-9,maybe 8-8 season. Parcells is going to find out why the Colts let Vanderjagt go! When you have a team with a good defense,which the Cowboys should have this year, and they like to run the ball and grind the clock and keep the games close, you better have a good kicker. Not that Vanderjagt is that bad, it's just that in the clutch you have to wonder if he can make the game-winning kick. The offensive line is also not as strong as it used to be and T.O. has proven useless and lazy already. IF T.O. decides to play NFL football again, and the line can give statue-like Bledsoe time to throw and create holes for Julius Jones, they may be a double-digit winning team, because the defense will come to play every down. But until all that happens, with the way things are in this division, I think we might be looking more at double-digit losses and 6-10 this year may not be out of the question for this Cowboy squad. This year I think the Eagles will edge out the Giants for the division with the Giants taking a wild card spot.
NFC NORTH
1. Bears
2. Vikings
3. Packers
4. Lions

The Chicago Bears should once again have the most ferocious defense in football and can put a beating on you whether you are trying to run the ball or throw it against them. They should be better on offense as well as don't expect QB Rex Grossman to last too long with the accurate Brian Griese available when needed. Add in another year of Thomas Jones with something to prove and one of the better offensive lines in the game and this team should run away the division again in 2006.While they do have some tough non-division games such as Seattle and at the Giants and Rams and Cards, 12- 4 should not be out of the question for a potent team in a weak division, anything less than 11-5 would have to be considered a disappointment. The Vikings still have what seems to be an average defense along with an average offense which again will lead to an average season. Brad Johnson is capable of spreading the ball around and the offensive line added ALL WORLD G Steve Hutchinson and RB Chester Taylor,but much like the defense, they will be good enough to beat some teams and not good enough to beat others. 7-9 may be in the cards for the Vikes this year,or it may be worse. Poor Brett Favre should have taken another week for his decision and maybe gone out this year. The offensive line is terrible and Brett ain't gettin no younger! WR Donald Driver will continue to produce but RB's Ahman Green and Sam Gado will have to stay healthy and try to create plays on their own. The defense will be better with the additions of rookie LB A.J.Hawk, DT Ryan Pickett and CB Charles Woodson, but will probably still need time to gel and develop into a defense that will perform on a weekly basis. With probably more downs than ups this year Green Bay should be looking at 5-11 and QB Aaron Rodgers this season. The Lions just can't seem to get anything going. Roy Williams was the only WR worth maybe a first round pick and Jon Kitna or Josh McCown cannot thrive with no one to throw to. RB Kevin Jones should carry alot of the load if he can stay healthy enough and the offensive line should at least be average. How much offense they can muster still remains a question. The defense seems better with the additions of rookies LB Ernie Sims and S Daniel Bullocks, but still has room to improve and will need time to play together to become one of the better units. Unfortunately, having games against the Seahawks,the Falcons,the Dolphins, and having to play at Dallas and New England and Arizona and St.Louis, not to mention the 2 games against the Bears, things may well be ugly in the Motor City again. 5-11,maybe,3-13 probably more like it.

NFC WEST
1. Seattle
2. Rams
3. Cards
4. 49ers

The NFC defending champion Seahawks should once again rule their division and probably the NFC once again in 2006. RB Shaun Alexander may have lost G Steve Hutchinson but signed Tom Ashworth and when you have Alexander,well,that is good enough. Throw in QB Matt Hasselbeck and another target in WR Nate Burleson and this team will threaten to score every time they have the ball. The defense will also be improved with the addition of LB Julian Peterson and rookie CB Kelly Jennings and probably rank in the top 10 in the league. The Seahawks will have their battles this year facing the Giants,Bears, and Chiefs and tough division road games at St.Louis and Arizona, but don't be surprised if this team were to finish 15-1, they are that good! The sleeper team of the NFC could be the St.Louis Rams. Their offensive line should be better and the running game should be in good hands with Stephen Jackson and short yardage back Stephen Davis. Put that together with a healthy Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, along with WR Kevin Curtis, and this team should once again be one of the top offenses in the league. Rookie TE Joe Klopfenstein should also contribute. Their defense is still not great but, much like the Bengals in the AFC, should be good enough for them to be able to outscore most opponents. An 11-5 season should not be that difficult with their schedule and 13 wins could even be possible with a couple of breaks and a healthy Bulger for an entire season. Another much improved team with a chance to possibly go 11-5 would be the Arizona Cardinals. The addition of Edgerrin James immediately adds a running game to an already potent passing attack and rookie QB Matt Leinart should be able to fill in if Warner again gets hurt. That may be a pretty good possibility considering the offensive line is still not good and T Leonard Davis can only block so many people himself. Throw in the fact that the defense still seems to have a ways to go before they can be considered a top defense and the Cards may again be looking more like 6-10 rather than the other way around. As for the 49ers, well, let's just say there is no where to go but up. The addition of Larry Allen to the offensive line is nice, and rookie TE Vernon Davis should surely help, but QB Alex Smith is still young and inexperienced and must work with a new corps of receivers, except for Arnaz Battle,who always seems to be injured. RB Frank Gore will be expected to carry the load but just how much of a load he can carry remains to be seen. The Niners have some nice young talent on defense, but again they are young and will probably give up lots of points along with lots of yardage again this year. If San Fran manages to win any games this year, it should come as a surprise and an embarassment to the team that loses to a team that can't stop the run and will be a challenge to stop most passing games. The Seahawks once again should win this division with the Rams grabbing an NFC wild card spot.

NFC SOUTH
1. Panthers
2. Falcons
3. Bucs
4. Saints

The Panthers could possibly have the 2nd best defense in the league and if all can stay healthy should have a pretty good offense as well. WR Keyshawn Johnson will help,escpecially when Steve Smith is on the sidelines nursing injuries. Rookie RB Deangelo Williams should be good enough to take some pressure off of Deshaun Foster and help keep him healthy as well. The offensive line is a solid one and the defense will once again be led by DE Julius Peppers, and with CB Chris Gamble being maybe the most under-rated CB in the game, and the return of DT Kris Jenkins as well as other key additions, this defense could be very tough to move the ball on. 14-2 would not be out of the question for the Panthers this year. Especially when the next best team in the division may be the Atlanta Falcons. This is another team with what could be a very good defense. With the addition of DE John Abraham across from DE Patrick Kerney and rookie CB Jimmy Williams, along with the return of LB Edgerton Hartwell, this defense could become very good very quickly. The question still remains,can Michael Vick move the offense consistently with a subpar receiving corps? Until someone other than TE Alge Crumpler and RB Warrick Dunn can step up and be productive for this team,expect no better than .500 from these Atlanta Falcons. While the Buccaneers appear to be a promising young team, I still have my doubts about "Chucky's boys". Chris Simms and RB Carnell Williams still have to prove they can be productive with an average offensive line for an entire season, and Clayton has to come back to provide help for the aging Galloway. While Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber form the nucleus of an excellent defense, the rest of the parts are not what they once were and this could be a major downfall in the city of Tampa Bay this season. With games against the Ravens,Bengals,Eagles,Giants,Redskins,Cowboys, Bear s and Seahawks, this Tampa Bay 2006 version could be in for a long season. Call me kooky, but with this kind of schedule,I wouldn't be surprised to see them post more than 3 wins this year. This could also be the case for the Saints. Although RB Reggie Bush should add some excitement to the city of New Orleans, they will still be hard pressed to stop the opposing teams offense and for them to get more than a couple of wins this year would be an accomplishment. The Panthers should have no problem again taking this division and will need every win possible for that coveted first round bye. They will probably play in the wild card round though and beat the Rams at home while the Giants will be coming up just short against a tough Bears squad. I would then take the Seahawks over the Bears and the Eagles over the Panthers to play for the right to face the Colts in the Super Bowl. Seattle should eek out another championship but once again fall to the AFC and this time the Colts in this years Super Bowl. Well, there you have it. Let's see what happens this year in the wacky world of the NFL and always expect the unexpected. Come on back tomorrow a.m. for my Week 1 picks.
Posted 14:18

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