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2007 NFL Preview - NFC East PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: DALLAS DALLAS COACH: WADE PHILLIPS (1st year) LAST YEAR: 9-7 OFFENSIVE RANK: 6 KEY ADDITIONS: LEONARD DAVIS-G KEY LOSSES: DREW BLEDSOE-QB OUTLOOK: The Dallas offense made a quantum leap last season when Romo took the helm. This team should have won it's playoff game vs. Seattle (ironically, it was Romo who failed them). It remains to be seen if his playoff gaff hurts him this season. We believe he's a kid with his head on straight and it will be more inspirational than impeding. Wade Phillips is known for defense, and we would expect a good unit to be enhanced with his presence. This team is good on both sides of the ball, and if Phillips can elevate the defense to "special" then the Boys may be in line to win their first playoff game in a longtime. PREDICTED: 10-6
NEW YORK GIANTS COACH: TOM CAUGHLIN (4th year) LAST YEAR: 8-8 OFFENSIVE RANK: 13 KEY ADDITIONS: MARCUS BELL-DT KEY LOSSES: TIKI BARBER-RB OUTLOOK: This was a team of disention last year and although Tom Caughlin didn't completely lose the team, there were just too many that thought he had. The loss of Tiki Barber will hurt a lot. Eli Manning needs to have a breakout season for the G-Men to entertain playoff hopes. His honeymoon is definitely over. Produce now or you are in big trouble, little bro. The Giants were 26th on defense last year and while the line is solid, what lies behind it is suspect. If the back 7 don't improve, neither will the Giants, and we see this team no different in the final win column than last year. PREDICTED: 8-8
PHILADELPHIA COACH: ANDY REID (9th year) LAST YEAR: 10-6 OFFENSIVE RANK: 2 KEY ADDITIONS: KELLY HOLCOMB-QB KEY LOSSES: ROD HOOD-CB OUTLOOK: There is certainly enough talent in place to make a playoff run, but also some question marks. Donovan McNabb needs to stay healthy, something he has not managed to do in 3 of the last 5 seasons. How will he respond off off ACL surgery? There is no Jeff Garcia behind him so if he goes, chances are so do the Eagles. The next question is can the Eagles stop the run? They finished 26th last year, and were exposed in the playoffs. As we say nearly every year, unless that changes, there will be no forward progress for this team. PREDICTED: 9-7
WASHINGTON COACH: JOE GIBBS (16th year) LAST YEAR: 5-11 OFFENSIVE RANK: 14 KEY ADDITIONS: LONDON FLETCHER-LB KEY LOSSES: DERRICK DOCKERY-OG OUTLOOK: Jason Campbell will take over this offense. He needs to cut down on mistakes and really mature quickly, or the Skins are likely going nowhere. A solid running attack should keep the pressure off him, but the recieving corp is not deep. He will have to make some plays for this team to do well. A banged up defense killed any hopes for the playoffs, as the Skins spent big, but had little depth. The secondary was destroyed by injury, and their ability to stay healthy and defend up to their capability will determine how far this team goes. Too many question marks and not enough depth. PREDICTED: 7-9
2007 NFL Preview - NFC West PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: SEATTLE
ARIZONA COACH: KEN WISENHUNT (1st year) LAST YEAR: 5-11 OFFENSIVE RANK: 19 KEY ADDITIONS: LEVI BROWN-OT KEY LOSSES: LEONARD DAVIS-T OUTLOOK: The Cardinals were supposed to be playoff contenders last season but a 1-8 start took any of those hopes away. The problems the Cardinals face are on the line, on both sides of the ball. They have the skill position players, made a lot of personnel changes, but the net result looks to be more of the same. Wisenhunt will try to implement 3-4 schemes on defense, but this team jus has too many holes in key places to improve dramatically. PREDICTED: 7-9
ST. LOUIS COACH: SCOTT LINEHAN (2nd year) LAST YEAR: 8-8 OFFENSIVE RANK: 4 KEY ADDITIONS: RANDY MCMICHAEL-TE KEY LOSSES: KEVIN CURTIS-WR OUTLOOK: The Rams opened 2006 strong, but then went through a 1-7 stretch and finished the season winning three straight. It's a pattern of a .500 team - no consistency. The offense was the bright spot, finishing with a number 4 ranking and should be good again. The defense is mediocre at best and will be the reson why the Rams have a similar season: bright spots followed by lulls, and finishing shy of the playoffs. PREDICTED: 8-8
SAN FRANCISCO COACH: MIKE NOLAN (3rd year) LAST YEAR: 7-9 OFFENSIVE RANK: 26 KEY ADDITIONS: NATE CLEMENTS-CB KEY LOSSES: ERIC JOHNSON-TE OUTLOOK: The Niners surprised quite a few people last year with their 7-9 finish. They were predicted to win about five but they benefited from a soft schedule. They finished near the bottom on offense at 26th and defense at 28th. Five of the nine losses were games that were not even competitive, with SF losing them by 20 or more points. The next step up for this team is a lot bigger than most think. This season they have road games at Pittsburgh, Seattle, Carolina, and the Giants and home contests with Baltimore, Seattle, New Orleans, and Cincinnati. Many see this team in the playoffs, but we don't see anything that says that with this schedule and limited personnel changes to upgrade from last year. PREDICTED: 7-9
SEATTLE COACH: MIKE HOLMGREN: (9th year) LAST YEAR: 9-7 OFFENSIVE RANK: 18 KEY ADDITIONS: PATRICK KEARNEY-DE KEY LOSSES: DARRELL JACKSON-WR OUTLOOK: The Seahawks have won the West three straight years and this appears to be the most competitive division. If they don't look-out, they might get caught. The team did not make many changes, and won a lot of close games last season going 4-1. A turn on a game or two could make the difference. They still are the best team in the division if they stay healthy but this team, and division, could turn on one key injury. Still should be on top. PREDICTED: 9-7
2007 NFL Preview - NFC North PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: CHICAGO
CHICAGO COACH: LOVIE SMITH (4th year) LAST YEAR: 13-3 OFFENSIVE RANK: 16 KEY ADDITIONS: ANTHONY ADAMS-DT KEY LOSSES: THOMAS JONES-RB OUTLOOK: The Superbowl runner-up has struggled the following year in NFL history. Not only that but this particular Superbowl loser has some serious issues. We expect the Bears to tail-off this season. Rex Grossman is not the answer at QB, and it will be interesting to see how long Lovie Smith keeps him in charge of the offense. The loss of Jones is going to hurt and the strength and stability of the offense is now a question mark. The defense that was impenetrable early, was mediocre in the second half. There are issues regarding Tank Johnson and Lance Briggs has threatened to sit out the season. Overall it will be all but impossible for the Bears to come close to the 13 wins they posted a year ago. PREDICTED: 10-6
DETROIT COACH: ROD MARINELLI (2nd year) LAST YEAR: 3-13 OFFENSIVE RANK: 17 KEY ADDITIONS: CALVIN JOHNSON-WR KEY LOSSES: JOSH MCCOWN-QB OUTLOOK: The offense struggled last year as the Lions lost their top three running backs to injuries. Tatum Bell should add depth. Kitna at 34 took virtually every snap last year, and threw more INT's than TD's. There is great exposure here, because if Kitna goes down, there is no QB with any experience behind him. He was sacked 63 times, and the new additions will hold the key if the Lions can improve. But, with the addition of Calvin Johnson and Bell, this offense could surprise. The Lions defense was ranked 27th, and the only way that improves, is if the offense can hold the ball longer, which should happen. Overall a mediocre year again for the Lions. PREDICTED: 7-9
GREEN BAY COACH: MIKE MCCARTHY (2nd year) LAST YEAR: 8-8 OFFENSIVE RANK: 10 KEY ADDITIONS: JUSTIN HARRELL-DT KEY LOSSES: AHMAN GREEN-RB OUTLOOK: The Packers lost five games by 3 or less in the 2004-05 season that finished a disappointing 4-12. It made last season appear to be more successful, and it was. Last year they were blown out in four games by 20+, and the Packers made virtually no changes in personnel. Favre is not the playmaker he once was, and the running game is a huge question mark with the departure of Green. The defense played over its head in the second half, and we expect it to drop-off some this season. The offense just does not possess big playmakers, and this could be a long season in Green Bay. PREDICTED: 6-10
MINNESOTA COACH: BRAD CHILDRESS (2nd year) LAST YEAR: 6-10 OFFENSIVE RANK: 21 KEY ADDITIONS: ADRIEN PETERSON-RB KEY LOSSES: MIKE ROSENTHAL-OT OUTLOOK: This could be a make or break year for Childress. The Vikes spent a lot on free agents, and saw the team go significantly backwards. The wheels came off as they finished just 2-8. Adrien Peterson surely isn't going to add much to what Chester Taylor did last year, as he gained 1,216 yds. It may help that he can share the work-load, but not much more. Brad Johnson will be missed, and Tavaris Jackson will likely be given every opportunity to win the job. The problem is the Vikings really don't have a strong recieving corp, and with an inexperienced QB, that could lead to trouble. The run defense remains solid, but the Vikes could be on the field longer this year. Improvement from a disappointing 6-10 season should be minimal. PREDICTED: 7-9
2007 NFL Preview - NFC South PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: NEW ORLEANS
ATLANTA COACH: Bobby Petrino (1st year) LAST YEAR: 7-9 OFFENSIVE RANK: 9 KEY ADDITIONS: JOE HORN-WR KEY LOSSES: PATRICK KERNEY-DE OUTLOOK: There are obviously lots of questions surrounding the off-field problems of Michael Vick. Chances are he won't don a Falcons uniform this season and perhaps, never again. The Falcons may come to regret letting go of Matt Schaub, and will put the offense in the hands of Joey Harrington. Warrick Dunn will miss a few games to start the season as well, and the Falcons could be looking up at the playoff teams once again. Opening with two on the road, and then coming home to playoff contenders Cincinnati and Baltimore, leads us to believe the Falcons could start slow, and probably never get fully going. PREDICTED: 7-9
CAROLINA COACH: JOHN FOX (6th year) LAST YEAR: 8-8 OFFENSIVE RANK: 24 KEY ADDITIONS: JON BEASON-LB KEY LOSSES: KEYSHAUN JOHNSON-WR OUTLOOK: The Panthers were expected to be a much better team last year, but a floundering offense that ranked just 27th in points scored did them in. Jake Delhomme who has led many 4th quarter comebacks, threw 6 of his 11 INT'S in the 4th quarter last season. Is he aging and declining, or just off a bad year? The Panthers don't have a clear-cut choice at running back either, so the offense seems questionable, just as it did last year.Offensive coordinator Dan Henning lost his job to Jeff Davidson, so the offense will have a new look. The defensive line is solid, but it's hard to see this team getting much better, or much worse. PREDICTED: 8-8
NEW ORLEANS COACH: SEAN PAYTON (2nd year) LAST YEAR: 10-6 OFFENSIVE RANK: 1 KEY ADDITIONS: JASON DAVID-CB KEY LOSSES: JOE HORN-WR OUTLOOK: The Saints explosive offense made them look great in four blowout wins in 2006. We believe they will miss Joe Horn this season, but the unit certainly is very balanced and solid. The defense played well, but the weak link may be behind the defensive line. They have a decent LB core but a somewhat suspect secondary, and this defense over-acheived last season. It will be hard to expect an encore #1 ranking for the offense now that they will not be sneaking up on anyone. Te defense in our estimation is middle of the pack. The Saints will be in the playoffs, but not with the record most anticipate. PREDICTED: 9-7
TAMPA BAY COACH: JOHN GRUDEN: (6th year) LAST YEAR: 4-12 OFFENSIVE RANK: 31 KEY ADDITIONS: JEFF GARCIA-QB KEY LOSSES: SHELTON QUARLES-LB OUTLOOK: The Bucs have fallen off severely and even with a lot of personnel changes and several free agent signings, they won't be in the playoff chase. Jeff Garcia may add some stability to the offense, but Cadilac Williams, oft injured in college, seems to have not shed that label. Galloway is aging, and so is the defense. B.J. Askew was brought in to help open up some holes for Williams to run through, and unless Garcia has a Pro Bowl type year, this team will again be looking at double digit losses. PREDICTED: 5-11
Be sure to also check out our 2007 NFL AFC preview and our Team Season Win Totals picks and predictions. |
