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07-28-2004
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#1 | ||||||
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Banned
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Chris Carter's thought provoking take on NFL
The Philadelphia Eagles have been so close to making the Super Bowl three years in a row. Their collective potential entering training camp is even greater. They lost a few veterans over the offseason, but added two needed ingredients to make the next step – a dominant pass rusher and a franchise wide receiver.
The Seattle Seahawks are the second-best team in the NFC. If they have a good regular season, it will come down to Seattle and Philadelphia for home-field advantage in the playoffs and the inside track on this year's Super Bowl. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFC EAST: Two major ingredients put Eagles over the top Cris' Prediction 1. Philadelphia 2. Dallas 3. Washington 4. New York The NFC East underwent extensive offseason changes and now boasts four powerful teams. The Eagles addressed two major needs by signing pass rusher Jevon Kearse and trading for wide receiver Terrell Owens. There is no better defensive end in the league than Kearse and he should realize his potential in Philadelphia. And Owens is in a good situation with the Eagles, going to an offensive system similar to the 49ers. That should help him avoid the up and down performances that we often see when superstars switch teams. The playoff experience has been good for Donovan McNabb, who has calmed down as a leader. Plus, with solid running backs Correll Buckhalter and Brian Westbrook to go along with Owens, McNabb has his best offensive unit yet, and enough to get past the conference championship game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dallas Cowboys have gotten better as Bill Parcells takes his team into training camp. Parcells did an excellent job in his first season and Dallas' players have completely bought into his system. The second season is when he really takes full control and makes headway. Parcells' system really got a boost with the signing of Eddie George. A power runner, he is a perfect fit for the type of offense Parcells wants to run. George will eat up the clock and shorten games for the Cowboys. Also, he will let the quarterbacks use a lot of play-action passes – something they were not able to do last season. There is still an open question at quarterback in Dallas, where the team needs more stability. Will it be Vinny Testaverde or will it be one of the younger guys? If it's Quincy Carter, the veteran presence of George will help him develop. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Washington Redskins once again had a busy offseason, and any time you add big-name players like Clinton Portis and Mark Brunnell, it brings excitement. But just as important in my mind was the Redskins' first-round draft pick Sean Taylor, the safety from the University of Miami. If he played on the offensive side of the ball, people would be comparing him to Barry Sanders, Peyton Manning and other great college players. He has that much talent. Taylor will help LaVar Arrington rebuild the defense and make it strong for the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Giants will definitely have more discipline under new coach Tom Coughlin. Another change could come on defense with new coordinator Tim Lewis possibly changing their defensive formation to a 3-4. Michael Strahan, the league's marquee defensive end, and the Giants are used to playing a 4-3 defense and could struggle with the transition. At quarterback, it will be interesting to see if Kurt Warner can hold off Eli Manning and how the two will handle the situation. Warner experienced controversy in St. Louis, but there is nothing like a controversy in New York City. Manning comes from a great stock and had a good college career. But leading a team in New York is unlike any situation and I can't wait to see what transpires with his career. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFC NORTH: Does Favre have one more season in him? Cris' Prediction 1. Minnesota 2. Green Bay 3. Detroit 4. Chicago The Minnesota Vikings have done the right things to move into the top spot of this division by adding three key players. They brought in Marcus Robinson at wide receiver to play opposite Randy Moss and take some coverage off of him. And they got Darren Bennett to punt – an area in which the Vikings have struggled for a long time. Also this offseason, the Vikings signed Antoine Winfield, who could end up being their biggest pickup in the last 10 years. Minnesota hasn't spent a lot of money on cornerbacks in the past; the Vikings always focused on outscoring the other team. Winfield has good coverage skills and is probably the best tackler pound-for-pound in the NFL. Winfield should join rising star Kevin Williams – who had 11 sacks last year as a rookie – to transform the Vikings' defense. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Green Bay Packers still have enough firepower to hold off the Lions and Bears. Many people think they have enough to win the division. They really do if everyone stays healthy, but I think Minnesota is in a better position. Green Bay faces two large questions entering training camp. Will this be the last season for Brett Favre and how much can the team continue to get out of Ahman Green? The Packers have worked Green to the max the last couple of years. With too much use, a running back will eventually break down. And if that happens, the Packers will struggle to remain competitive. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I like the moves the Detroit Lions made and I think coach Steve Mariucci is proving to be the perfect fit for Detroit. His experience coaching quarterbacks will help the development of Joey Harrington now that Harrington is surrounded by talent. New wide receiver Roy Williams will match very well with second-year man Charles Rogers. The Lions also picked up running back Kevin Jones in the draft. He is set to surprise many experts after drifting late in the first round and could turn out to be a great feature back in the NFL. There is a concern that all the skill players are so young. The Lions would be better served with a veteran to mix in with the group. But with that said, you can't teach size and speed and young group now has a chance to grow up together. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Besides hiring Lovie Smith, I don't think the Chicago Bears made any significant moves that will make them competitive in the NFC North. They are moving in the right direction under Smith, but this is a tough division to move up in. The good news is that Chicago should be able to run the ball better with Thomas Jones behind a line that has been improved with Ruben Brown and John Tait. Beyond that, there are still a lot of unknowns in Chicago – most notably whether Rex Grossman will develop into a No. 1 guy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFC SOUTH: Is the return of Michael Vick enough to challenge the Panthers? Cris' Prediction 1. Carolina 2. Tampa Bay 3. Atlanta 4. New Orleans It's easy to duplicate success in the NFL when you run the football and play good defense. The Carolina Panthers have that formula. But Carolina won't sneak up on any teams this year after their run to the Super Bowl last season. I see the Panthers maintaining the same position atop the NFC South. But the division might not look the same because their competition is much improved. The Buccaneers have rid themselves of off-the-field problems and the Falcons have a healthy Michael Vick. The Panthers did a good job in the offseason adding veterans who are used to winning like Jessie Armstead from the Redskins and Terrance Shaw from the Oakland Raiders. Shaw brings more experience to a young backfield along with another body. You can never have too many cornerbacks. Another key addition for the Panthers will be Chris Gamble, the cornerback they drafted with the 28th pick from Ohio State. I wouldn't be surprised if he worked himself into the starting secondary by the end of the season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should challenge the Panthers. Their addition of Joey Galloway will round out the West Coast offense. He is the deep threat that Jon Gruden has been looking for to stretch out the field. As a quarterback, you need a receiver who can make the big play. Tampa Bay didn't have that player last season. Brad Johnson is still their man at quarterback, though you would never know it by how Gruden acts. He just doesn't fall in love with quarterbacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anytime a team loses its starting quarterback, especially a star, it will struggle. The Atlanta Falcons really felt the loss of Michael Vick last season. But it's a new year and Vick could have the Falcons challenging the Panthers and Buccaneers. The first three teams in the South could flip flop. An addition that people won't talk about but will have an influence is backup quarterback Ty Detmer. Detmer has been around since 1993 and will be a good influence on Vick. He will continue to teach Vick about what it takes to play quarterback. New arrivals at cornerback – Jason Webster and Aaron Beasley – will help solidify a defense that has really struggled defending the pass. Also, the league should get ready for rookie corner DeAngelo Hall from Virginia Tech. He claims to be a mix between Champ Bailey and Deion Sanders. It will be exciting for the people in Atlanta to have another Deion out there in coverage. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New Orleans Saints are in a tough spot. They haven't improved and each team in the division is better. New Orleans is tough to figure out. Jim Haslett is a very good coach but defensively, the Saints can't stop anyone. Regardless of how good their offense is – with Aaron Brooks throwing the ball to receivers Joe Horn and Donte' Stallworth and Deuce McAllister racking up the yards on the ground – the Saints won't be successful if they continue to let teams run the ball against them week-in and week-out. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NFC WEST: The Seahawks are ready to take the next step Cris' Prediction 1. Seattle 2. St. Louis 3. Arizona 4. San Francisco The Seattle Seahawks will benefit from their experience in last year's playoffs and Mike Holmgren, after years of struggling, finally has the team that he wants in Seattle. People in Seattle should be excited about the team and what Holmgren is doing. Things are really looking up for the Seahawks. Matt Hasselbeck is growing into a confident quarterback and has good weapons in Shaun Alexander and a good young receiving corps. If Darrell Jackson and Koren Robinson can cut out half of last year's drops, the Seahawks offensive production will explode. On defense, newcomers Grant Wistrom at defensive end and Bobby Taylor at cornerback will be the catalysts for Seattle. These two guys are solid veterans coming from winning teams. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The St. Louis Rams could challenge Seattle, but they have lots of open questions entering training camp. The Rams are still a powerful offensive team. Marc Bulger still has great receivers to throw to in Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk to give the ball to. But can the Rams hold up defensively after losing defensive coordinator Lovie Smith to the Bears? The departure of Grant Wistrom was a big loss – not to mention it was to a team inside their division. Also Leonard Little is in the middle of a legal situation and is a question mark. Without these two guys, I don't see the Rams being able to pressure the quarterback. Faulk and the offense are not getting any younger. Faulk may be asked to platoon at running back with rookie Steven Jackson. Jackson is going to be a great pro, but it is unclear how Faulk would react to being a part-time player at this stage of his career. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Arizona Cardinals should make a big move this season. If you look at Dennis Green's past, Arizona will at least have a change in attitude. Green is used to winning. Green's teams always have scored a lot of points and to keep that consistent, he drafted Larry Fitzgerald – a new weapon whom he knows very well after having him as a ballboy in Minnesota. Green works well with quarterbacks and is very excited with Josh McCown. He believes that McCown is a more athletic Brad Johnson, who he had in Minnesota. Arizona's defense has to get better this season and the Cardinals are looking for big things out of Bertrand Berry – the defensive end who they nabbed from Denver. Green is confident that Berry will help turn things around. Still the question remains whether Green's offense will be able to outscore its opponents until that happens. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The San Francisco 49ers are left with a shell of last year's team. Gone are veteran leaders – Garrison Hearst, Tai Streets, Jeff Garcia – and the team should struggle on and off the field this season. Starting from the top, Tim Rattay is their starting quarterback, but is he a franchise quarterback? Even if he is that guy, Rattay doesn't have established receivers to throw to. Brandon Lloyd is coming off a good season, but is he enough to replace Terrell Owens? On defense, San Francisco has to get Julian Peterson signed. He is too talented defending the pass and the run to lose. |
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07-28-2004
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#2 | ||||
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Arch Defender
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"There is no better defensive end in the league than Kearse and he should realize his potential in Philadelphia"
hmm, looks like Carter has been hanging with Ricky Williams and some of the other bongsters... David |
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07-28-2004
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#3 | |||||||
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Banned
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07-28-2004
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#4 | ||||
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Senior Member
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If Kearse stays healthy, he is one of the best in the league. The best? I plead the 5th :p
Where's the love for the AFC South? Well since that preview isn't here, I'll tell you what Carter said. He said the loss of Marcus Robinson will really hurt the Colts. Ok, so maybe he is smokin out with Ricky. |
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07-28-2004
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#5 | |||||||
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Banned
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07-28-2004
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#6 | ||||
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Right Kind of Guy
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Nice article, thanks for posting it. Boy it's strange that not all the Cardinals love is coming from the Phoenix media. They were high on Buddy Ryan too.
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07-28-2004
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#7 | |||||
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Senior Member
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Or maybe I really am funny, but I can't even top Carter with the Marcus Robinson comment I'm assuming I'm not the only one that realizes that Marcus Robinson doesn't play for the Colts....oh and Carter said the Titans backup safety would be Steve Smith. They've cut down to 88 players and he's already gone. Plus the team already had a handshake deal with safety Scott McGarahan to be finalized after Eddie's deal was done. And there was a snowball's chance in the Devil's underspants for Smith to beat out Lamont Thompson. There was even another safety he had to beat out, yet that guy is still around. I guess they'll let just anybody be a sports writer....or a comedian....doh! there's my chance! |
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07-29-2004
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Senior Member
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07-29-2004
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One Classy Lady
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07-29-2004
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Armchair QB
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Simeon Rice is without a doubt the best defensive end in the league. He is the fastest around the corner...
FTTR 12/30/2012
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07-29-2004
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Senior Member
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07-29-2004
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Senior Member
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