NFL Preview and Predictions NFC East Dallas missed the playoffs by one game last year and in the offseason they got better through addition by subtraction. The Cowboys dumped trouble makers Adam Jones and Terrell Owens. Entering a new stadium can Romo, Witten and company get the Cowboys back to the playoffs and the glory days? I believe the team will play better by playing as one with no one player being the main go to guy. Prediction 12-4 New York Giants looked like the poised to repeat as champions with a 12-4 record and home field, but ran into a hot Eagles team and were bounced out in the first round. The Giants lost Plaxico Burress late in the season and that threw off their entire game passing game plan. Can the run and defense continue to take pressure of Eli Manning and the young receiver core? The defense has Umenyiora back and is poised for another solid season and the running game of Jacobs, Bradshaw, and Ware for another three headed running back monster. Prediction 13-3 Philadelphia won 4 of their last 5 games to finish 9-6-1 and get the last spot of the playoffs then promptly won in Minnesota and in New York, but couldn’t continue the Cinderella run in Arizona as they lost in the NFC championship game to the Cardinals. Back healthy are McNabb and Westbrook, but can they stay that way all year and will Michael Vick be a positive addition or a negative distraction? The health is always a question with these two players and no one is healthy at the end of the year in the NFL, but this year they will have solid seasons and the addition of Vick will help take the pressure and some hits off the other two stars. Prediction 11-5 Washington is the other team in this 4 team division behind the big three. With that the Redskins decided to bolster their defense with big Albert Haynesworth as they signed him to a record contract. With that signing can Washington make some headway in the division and get into the playoffs or is it more overspending by Daniel Snider and Washington? I think Haynesworth will make some different, but not enough to overcome the tough division and drop from 8-8 last year to under .500. Prediction 6-10 NFC North Chicago made a big splash in the offseason getting Jay Cutler in a trade with Denver. That finally gives the Bears a quality quarterback to throw the ball, but the question are can the defense regain its swagger and who will Cutler throw the ball to? Hester? Bennett? Olson? Hester is a glorified return man who is not a smart receiver, Bennett is average and Olson is a possession tight end. Cutler and Forte are great, but there are no decent receivers which will limit the Bears late in games. Prediction 9-7 Detroit had the worst year ever last year with a record of 0-16. With that record the Lions got the first overall pick taking Matthew Stafford. He is a much better improvement at the quarterback position, but is he enough to turn this franchise around with Calvin Johnson? He is a rising star and the Lions can only go up, but they are still the Lions and won’t compete for much. Prediction 6-10 Green Bay is once and for all past the Favre distraction of last year and can focus everything on football. The defense was solid last year, however the offense and Aaron Rodgers struggled. With a full season under his belt and no one behind him for Rogers to look over his shoulder at, can the Packers return to the top of the division where they once ruled? The answer is yes as Rogers looks good in preseason as does Ryan Grant and with the offense doing well the defense won’t have to have everything on their shoulders. Prediction 11-5 Minnesota has a stud of a running back in Adrian Peterson and a great defense returning and they brought in that Favre guy. However, can all this the running back + defense + 3-time MVP but aging quarterback = another playoff appearance? No I think they will have a solid representative season, but by not winning the division they will have to compete with too many other good teams for the wildcard and there will be too many to overcome. Prediction 10-6 NFC South Atlanta had a great year last year as they finally had Atlanta talking football then Michael Vick. They were able to turn things around with the help of Matt Ryan and went 11-5 and made the playoffs. Granted they lost that playoff game at Arizona, but played well and have something to build on from this year. They were added to that offense with the acquisition Tony Gonzalez. Can Ryan do it again and avoid the sophomore slump and will Gonzalez play well in his first year out of Kansas City? The answer is yes to both as Ryan is too good to have a bad second year and Gonzalez is the reason as he is the go to guy if no one else is open. Prediction 11-5 Carolina was the second best team in the NFC as they finished 12-4 and a first round bye, but in the playoffs they looked like kittens rather then panthers as Jake Delhomme had 5 interceptions and lost a fumble in a 33-13 home loss. Can Carolina bounce back and Delhomme get back to the 2008 regular season form shaking off the postseason? I think they can even in the tough division to have a bounce back year with a winning record. Prediction 9-7 New Orleans had a very up and down year as they ended 8-8, but did lead the NFL in points with 463. Can New Orleans repeat that output on offense and put the defense in a position to force the opposing offense into passing situations and bad throws? It’s a lock that the offense will be there with Drew Brees at the helm and the defense has shown signs of improvement. Prediction 11-5 Tampa Bay finished 9-7 on the year, but it is a disappointing 9-7 as they were at one point 9-3 before losing their final 4 games. One of the biggest weaknesses was playing on the road where they were 3-5 as supposed to 6-2 at home. Can Tampa Bay navigate what I think is the toughest schedule in the league? The loss of Joey Galloway hurts, but the additions of Kellen Winslow and Derrick Ward help. However they won’t be enough as the too tough of schedule will be too much to over come. Prediction 2-14 NFC West Arizona is the defending NFC champs and has the best receiver in the league in Larry Fitzgerald. The division is easily winnable as no one else finished up above .500 and the schedule has its easy moments starting with three of the first four games at home. Can Arizona repeat the success from last year and how much does Kurt Warner have left in the tank? They can repeat the playoff appearance but will a few games again will be tough in the revamped NFC and Warner has a few more years left in the league especially out in Arizona throwing to Larry Fitzgerald. Prediction 11-5 San Francisco needed a big time receiver to complement Frank Gore in the running game and thought they had it in Michael Crabtree, but he has yet to sign. The 49ers finished 7-9 last year and came close to a .500 or winning record, but are still rebuilding. Can they sign Crabtree in time and start moving closer to being rebuilt. No they simply don’t have the parts yet as they are still a few years away. Prediction 5-11 Seattle had an injury played 2008 year and we an awful 4-12. Matt Hasselbeck is back, Shaun Alexander is gone, Edgerrin James and TJ Houshmandzadeh were brought it to help kick start the offense back up to the day when they got to the super bowl. With all those parts the biggest problem they always had was winning on the road can they turn that around and be a contender? No the road losses will pile up and they will finish under .500 once again despite the good offensive showing. Prediction 6-10 St. Louis is dreadful the only saving them from being the worst in the league was the Lions as they finished 2-14. Steven Jackson can’t do everything himself and there simply isn’t anyone else there. Can someone else step up to shoulder the loud perhaps Marc Bulger? It would be nice if Bulger could do something, but who is he going to throw too everyone is gone including Torry Holt. Prediction 3-13 Playoffs NFC East NY Giants NFC South New Orleans NFC North Green Bay NFC West Arizona Wild Card Dallas Wild Card Atlanta